Chapter 20
“Surely He has given thee a clear victory.”
(Quran
48:1)
The
Quraysh had tried with an utmost hatred to bring about the downfall of Islam.
They also had tried their best to destroy Islam in the two battles of Badr and
Uhud. However, on this two epics war where in each battle a Divine assistance
that led to the rout of Quraysh.
The neighboring Jewish tribes, as well as the Bedouins, also failed in their attempts and so did the Hypocrites in their efforts to harm Islam from within. Each thus frustrated separately they all made common cause to achieve jointly that which they separately had proved themselves unable to accomplish. But here, too, the hand of Allahﷻ was with the Muslims and gave them a glorious victory; a victory so great that never again had the enemy the courage to march on Madinah.
Let those who think Islam prevailed because of the sword pause and
study these battles of history, and we are convinced that they will come to the
conclusion; that “Islam spread, not by the sword.” The separate and joint
attacks of the enemy conclusively prove that these storms did not even blight
the religion which Rasulullah ﷺ, had come to teach – sure proof that Divine
help was with them.
A year after the battle of Khandaq Rasulullah ﷺ saw in a vision that he, with his companions, was performing pilgrimage. This led him to think of that at last the enemy had come to know the Muslim strength, and realize that there was some inherent power in Islam which successfully withstood the onslaughts. Therefore, Rasulullah ﷺ took the vision concerning the pilgrimage to be a sign for him to go on pilgrimage and thus impress upon them the spiritual greatness of Islam as well; Rasulullah ﷺ also thought that as a pilgrimage was a privilege denied to none, it would not be denied to the Muslims.
With this end in view, in the 6th A.H. (626 A.C.), with fourteen hundred Companions, he set out for Makkah to perform the pilgrimage: or Haj but to avoid misunderstanding, as well as to impress upon the Quraysh, the peacefulness of the Muslims intentions, Rasulullah ﷺ ordered that none should carry arms, though it was then the usual thing to wear a sword, however peaceful the conditions. So with their sacrificial animals they started for Makkah. But the Quraysh, whose animosity was by no means dead, made ready to offer resistance to the Muslims.
Budayl, the chief of the tribe Khuza’a, though not himself a Muslim, nevertheless, out of his regards to Islam, informed Rasulullah ﷺ of the intentions of the Quraysh, who had posted themselves outside Makkah so as to close all the approaches and bar the entry of the Muslims. Rasulullah ﷺ sent back Budayl to inform the Quraysh that the Muslims come to perform pilgrimage (Haj) and not to fight, and to suggest the Quraysh to enter into a truce with the Muslims for a certain period.
Rasulullah ﷺ at that time was halting at a place called Hudaybiyah, till the conclusion of the terms with the Quraysh, but as the Quraysh were anxious not to let go a chance of killing a Muslim, they advanced slowly towards the Muslim camp with intent to slay any unwary Muslim who might cross their path. The wiser of the Quraysh were in favor of accepting the peace, because they knew that they could not hope to do any harm to the Muslims, especially when on every occasion of war they had failed to do so. They therefore, agreed to depute ‘Urwa as their spokesman to conclude terms of truce with the Muslims. ‘Urwa came to Rasulullah ﷺ, but the negotiations were a fiasco, and ended in an instructive incident.
‘Urwa, in the course of
discussion, advised Rasulullah ﷺ not too much reliance in his followers,
imputing that they were as likely as not to desert him in hour of need. Nevertheless, he went back highly impressed
with the faithfulness of the Muslims, because while he was there, the time for
prayer came, and when Rasulullah ﷺ performed the ablutions, so intense was the
love of his followers towards him that they did not let even a drop of the
waste water fall on the ground.
“By
God” said Urwa on his return to the Quraysh, “Muhammad cannot even spit but
that one of his followers gathers it up to smear his face with it, and after he
has washed they fight for his bath-water! I have been on embassies to princess; of the
Caesar, to the Chores, and the Negus; but I have never seen a sovereign so
well obeyed as Muhammad.” Two other emissaries received the same impression.
Not disheartened by the first failures of the peace talk Rasulullah ﷺ sent another messenger; but he was ill-treated, the camel on which he rode being killed. As a further sign of hostility a detachment of the Quraysh set out to kill as many Muslims as possible, but was itself taken prisoner. As the Muslims was not intent upon fighting they let them go, and this time sent Sayidina Uthman Ibn Affan ra to negotiate. As soon as Sayidina Uthman ra arrived he was captured, and the rumors spread in the Muslim camp that he had been murdered, which led them to fear that the Quraysh were bent upon war.
The Muslims were unarmed and numerically inferior. To all appearance, it was a most critical period for them, and it was only their firm faith in the Divine protection that kept their head cool. They were unarmed and the enemy is bent on bloodshed; in these circumstances Rasulullah ﷺ called on them to take a fresh oath that they would fight to the very last man, and they cheerfully took it. These are famously known in Islamic history as “The Bay’atu r Ridhwan.” Or “The Pledge of Rizwan.” This resolve of the Muslims to shed the last drop of blood in the cause of Allahﷻ reached the Quraysh and brought them to their senses.
They realized then that whatever their number or strength might be,
they would never succeed in overthrowing this band of devout believer of Islam.
Where they fought like men endowed with supernatural strength. Their past
experience told them that they had no choice against the Muslims. Realizing all
their disadvantages they sent one, Suhail bin Amru to come to terms with the
Muslims. Thus an agreement known as “The Truce of Hudaybiyah” was drawn up. The
parties agreed to maintain peace for ten years on the following conditions.-
Soon after these terms were concluded, One Abu Jandal, a Muslim, who was in Makkah and being tortured, came over to the Muslims, thinking that by so doing he would be safe. He showed the scars on his body, which moved Rasulullah ﷺ to try to get exception in his case, but Suhayl would have none of it, and demanded that the man be returned. Rasulullah ﷺ had to yield and hand him over to the Quraysh. “Sayidina Umar Ibn Khattab ra was indignant at this apparent weakness of Rasulullah ﷺ, and the Muslims also remonstrated, but to no purpose.
THE STEADFASTNESS OF ABU JANDAL ra.
On the receipt of which Rasulullah ﷺ sent for Sayidina Umar ra, the most indignant of all, and told him that what be considered a defeat was really a great victory in the eyes of Allahﷻ.”
Events that followed amply show that this truce was, indeed, a victory for the Muslims; for, in the following year, on the occasion of pilgrimage there were ten thousand men with Rasulullah ﷺ instead of the fourteen hundred he had had on the occasion of the truce. This increase in number of Muslims was due to no other cause than the “Treaty of Hudaybiyah,” which the Muslims had thought humiliating. The truce of Hudaybiyah, in fact, bridged the gulf that had yawned between Muslims and Kafir, because of the existence of the state of warfare.
The truce went a long way to bring them together because the Muslims could mxi freely with the Quraysh and imbue them with their ideas and morals. During the truce the Quraysh also could come in contact with the Muslims and discover that those under the influence of Rasulullah ﷺ were superior in morality and unity. So long as the barrier of warfare existed the Arabs had no time to appreciate the moral edification brought about by Islam. Until then, their sole aim in life had been to devise plans for the annihilation of the Muslims.
Now they
came to know that Rasulullahﷺ was quite other than the person they imagined,
and soon found out that his teachings were for the well being and good of
mankind. They realized that they had been led astray in their estimate of his
character; for now they saw that it was above approach, kind and invigorating.
It was this impression, wrought on them by the peaceful conditions brought
about the truce, which effected their conversion to the faith.
Following
the revelation referred to above comes this:
(Quran:
48. 2-3)
These
words were amply fulfilled by the conversion of a large number to the new
faith. All the amputations that had been heaped upon him were removed by close
contact, and his sterling qualities were made manifest to the Arabs. As to the
words “That which remains behind,” the happenings of to-day are a proof, Europe
is gradually discovering, now that it is in closer contact with Muslims, that
what its historians wrote of Rasulullah ﷺ
is far from being true.
It is thus clear that the harsh terms of Hudaybiyah accepted by Rasulullah ﷺ were because of a Divine purpose, and also by reason of the peace-loving nature of Rasulullah ﷺ. The Muslims had defeated the Quraysh almost on all occasions, and in spite of being unarmed they could not neglect the chance for peace, how-ever slight it might be. The Quran, too, confirms this in its words;
But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allahﷻ. for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things).
(Quran
8:61)
THE CHOSROES OF PERSIA.
On his return Rasulullah ﷺ found that with his mind at rest about war he could do much to bring about some realization of his mission. So far his effort confined to the Arabs only, and of them only such as belonged to the Hedjaz. Now, after this truce, he sent envoys to neighboring sovereigns inviting them to embrace Islam. Two of the embassies were especially dispatched to the Emperor of the Greeks, and the Chosroes of Persia. The latter was amazed at the audacity of the fugitive of Makkah in addressing him on equal terms, and indignantly tore up the letter. When this news was brought to Rasulullah ﷺ, he said:
“Thus shall the Kingdom of the Chosroes of Persia. Thus shall the Kingdom of the Chosroes be torn to pieces.”; and this prophecy was duly fulfilled, as history tells us.
“Did
you make war against him?” asked the Emperor Heraclius.
“Yes,”
replied Abu Sufyan.
“Who
was the victor?” inquired Heraclius.
“Once
he was – once we were” said Abu Sufyan.
“Does
he keep his word?” asked the Emperor.
“We
are.” Said Abu Sufyan,” at the present time actually at peace with him, but we
do not know how he will observe it.”
“What
does he believe?” asked the Emperor.
“He
asks us,” said Abu Sufyan, “to give up the faith of our fathers, to worship one
God, to pay the poor-rate, to keep our word, and to abstain from fornication.”
This
account of Islam, and by an avowed enemy at that, impressed the Emperor highly.
He called a meeting of prominent personages, and tried to win them over his
views of Islam. He told them that the adoption of Islam would increase their well-being.
But, they all resented this suggestion of his. To save appearances he had to
say that he was only testing their integrity. He died, it is said, without
making public confession of is faith.
The
dispatch to Persia that was torn up by the Chores was couched in the
following terms: “In the name of God, the beneficent and Merciful, Muhammad the
Apostle of God invites you..” Another epistle was sent to the Negus of
Abyssinia. He honored the emissary and embraced Islam.
The emissary sent to the governor of Basra in the confines of Syria was killed at Mu’tah by an Arab of the tribe of the Ghassan, Christian vassals of the Emperor Heraclius. To avenge his death Rasulullah ﷺ sent Sayidina Zayd bin Harithah ra with three thousand men under orders to sweep Mut'ah with an invasion, but to spare women, children, the blind, and the monks and avoid the destruction of house and trees.
But the Muslims ran up against a strong army of the Ghassan and some
Greeks. As they did not know how to form squares they were routed by the
enemy’s cavalry. Sayidina Zayd bin Harithah ra was mortally wounded and gave
the standard over to Sayidina Jaafar bin Abu Talib ra, the brother of Sayidina
Ali ra, as it fell from his hand. He heroically defended the emblem, having his
two hands cut off before falling, with his head split open and body pierced
with more than ninety wounds from lances or arrows. The poet, Sayidina Abdullah
bin Rawahah ra, was also martyred.
And
in the end, Sayidina Khalid bin al Walid ra, the new convert, took over the
banner, rallied his troops, and had nine sabres (sword) snapped off in his
hand.
Night
separated the combatants. The following day Sayidina Khalid Al Walid ra, well
versed in war tactics, pushed forward his troops at a number of points so the
enemy believed he had received re-enforcements, and retreated.
The
army returned to Madinah, piously carrying the body of Sayidina Jaafar ra. Rasulullah
ﷺ wept for death of his three generals. He went to call upon Jaafar’s widow,
and taking the martyr’s little son upon his knee he caressed the child’s head
in such fashion that the mother at once understood what had occurred.
“His
two hands were cut off,” he said, “but Allahﷻ has given him two wings of
emeralds and with them he flies amongst the angels of Paradise.”
And
seeing the daughter of his faithful Sayidina Zayd ra approach, he leaned his
head upon her shoulder and wept. They were astonished, and he explained: “I
shed the tears of friendship for the loss of a friend.”
Rasulullah
ﷺ: The commander to lead the army to the battlefield.
Sayidina
Zayd bin Harithah ra – A liberated slave, and the fact that the army, though
comprised of noble and proud elements, accepted his command, was an example of
the holy Rasulullah ﷺ teachings of equality, fairness, and of course
capability, and their hold on his followers.
Those who charge Rasulullah ﷺ with personal aggrandizement and worldly ambition should pause and reflect, for here is something to convince them of their error in estimating this unique personality. Their charge might have had some weight if Rasulullah ﷺ had sent these envoys to other places after his subjugation of the whole of Arabia, but the fact that he sent them long before that proves that his purpose was neither self-aggrandizement nor worldly ambition.
They should remember that only twelve months before Madinah had been besieged, and that but a few weeks previously they had been refused permission to perform the pilgrimage. In face of these circumstances Rasulullah ﷺ invitation to various powerful monarchs to embrace Islam could not well be on account of self-aggrandizement. It was, in fact, on account of his absolute faith in Allahﷻ and supreme conviction as to the ultimate success of his mission. It was a struggle between Truth and Falsehood, and as Truth does not depend on force and is potent enough to hold its own, it succeeded.
Two things are borne out by this event; one that Rasulullahﷺ was neither an impostor nor an imbecile, and the other that from the very beginning he had looked upon Islam as the religion of the whole world. Therefore, if he was not an impostor then he was certainly the Rasul of Allah. As to the universality of religion, no religion except Islam has claimed for itself that it is a universal religion. Jesus himself put forward no such claim. Instead, he always said that he came to reclaim the lost sheep of the House of Israel; and this is amply proved by the fact that he refused to pray when once a non-Israelite came to him begging for prayers.
On
the other hand Rasulullah ﷺ form the moment of his call, claimed to have come
as the Rasul (Prophet) for the world, to teach to all the religion of oneness
of God. The Quran itself says as much, and Rasulullahﷺ spared no pain to
accomplish it. His sending of envoys to the courts of different kings was for
furtherance of the object that was his, and which Allahﷻ meant to be his. It was
in no way like the claim of St.Paul to the Catholic of the religion of Jesus.
But that the religion of the West happens to be Christianity neither proves that Islam was not a universal
religion nor affirms that it is suited only to the requirements of the East, as
Christianity was born and bred in the East, and the Israelites, for the
reformation of which tribe it came, were the inhabitants of the East.
